The Smoke-Filled Living Room

Washington is having its moment on television, with a proliferation of political shows with new twists on life inside the Beltway. A look at political shows on television.

Nov. 7, 2013 7:06 p.m. ET

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The classic movie 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' was a Kennedy-era TV show starring Fess Parker that lasted six months.
Everett Collection…

Garry Trudeau wrote the political mockumentary 'Tanner 88,' which was directed by Robert Altman and aired on HBO in the months running up to the 1988 election. A hybrid of fiction and reality, the 11-part series starred Michael Murphy as an obscure Democrat in the primaries and his interactions with real-life politicians. It got mixed reviews. Shown here are Cynthia Nixon, left, and Michael Murphy, center.
HBO/Everett Collection…

Aaron Sorkin's 'The West Wing' took the television world by storm in 1999, luring viewers with its idealized take on life in a Democratic White House. Pictured is Martin Sheen as President Josiah 'Jed' Bartlet.
NBC Photo/Getty Images…

In 'Veep,' HBO charts the comedic travails of an inept vice president played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
HBO…

Chris Noth, left, eagerly awaits voting results on the eve of the gubernatorial election on 'The Good Wife.' New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg is pictured on the right.
CBS…

Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison in 'Homeland'
Showtime…

ABC's campy drama 'Scandal,' starring Kerry Washington, left, chronicles the adventures of a political fixer. Sally Pressman, right, joins the show in season two.
ABC…

The latest, 'Alpha House,' the first original series from Amazon's new video streaming service, is loosely based on a Washington, D.C. living space shared by four middle-aged members of Congress.
Amazon Studios TV…